Mothers in Haiti
2008-08-13
Michelle Alfons, 36, was sent home from Haiti's State hospital with severe pre-eclampsia. A few days later, she collapsed with convulsions and was forced to give birth to her daughter immediately in a tin container. The little girl lived for only 7 minutes. It was either her or Michelle. This time the mother survived. In Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, the highest proportion of women in the western hemisphere die during pregnancy. Only 6000 km from the USA, life is characterised by corruption, famine and violent gang culture. Women give birth in simple tin sheds without any help. They do not dare go to hospital because the risk of violent attack on the roads is too high. Instead expectant mothers bleed to death and babies are thrown into the streets. The few who go to hospital end up in one of the world's most corrupt health care systems. Those who are unlucky, like Michelle's daughter, die as a result of the corrupt system.
Photos by Jonte Wentzel.